10 Yetis Insight Blog - Online Video Production As Part of a PR Strategy

Show me an office worker who claims that they don’t spend a large proportion of their free time and lunch hours at work watching viral videos on the likes of Buzzfeed, UniLad, the Mail Online and YouTube; and I will show you either a massive liar, or someone who works WAY too hard.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that because videos are now such an integral part of most of our everyday lives, it’s foolish for those of us working in a digital PR agency, like 10 Yetis, to not take advantage of them when devising cross platform campaigns for potential and existing clients. Not only will adding video improve the sharability of a client campaign, it will also help with tapping into influencer outreach and target audiences on social media, who are simply not responsive to the more traditional print and broadcast coverage you might be securing elsewhere.

Speaking of more traditional public relations methods, If you currently work in the PR industry, you will know only too well how tricky it can be to sell in a newsworthy client story. Sure, you might have a worldie client, a killer angle, great quotes and a headline sure to stand out in the busiest of national journalists' inboxes; but sometimes this just doesn’t cut it on a hectic news day or busy time of the year. Online video production, creating footage that highlights your client’s story, news or product, will increase the campaign's impact on a journalist, and help to widen the opportunity for exposure.

If you strike gold and a journalist decides to upload your video to their news site, there are loads of benefits too. Accompanying video content means that the journalist is MUCH more likely to give you the holy grail of a follow link to your client’s website, improving your SEO and Google rankings. There is also the increased chance that an online news story featuring a video will get shared on the publication's Facebook and Twitter feeds, with a mention of your client, reaching a far wider audience and potentially increasing their followers.

Integrating online video production into the campaigns of our existing and future clients' PR plans is something the team here at 10 Yetis Digital are so passionate about, and we really believe that it will become an increasingly popular tools amongst other agencies in the near future due to video's massive appeal. Don’t just take my (slightly biased) word for how effective video can be though, feast your eyes on three of my favourite (most powerful) examples of how integrating video into your PR strategy campaign can help propel it into the world of viral fame!

• 1.Blendtech- Will it Blend?

Who’d have thought that a series of videos featuring a bloke in a white coat blending such unusual items as an iPhone, golf balls and the Twilight books would make for such compulsive viewing? Well that’s exactly what the team at Blendtech have been doing since 2006 in a bid to show audiences and potential customer just how strong and powerful their range of blenders are through a series of comedic videos. Yes, the premise may seem utterly ridiculous, but host of the videos Tom Dickson has said that the series has led to global awareness of the product, as well as making a HUGE impact on sales.

• 2.Volvo Trucks- The Epic Split

This epic video of actor Jean Claude Van Damme balancing on two moving Volvo trucks, and eventually doing the splits as they move apart beneath his feet contains all the right ingredients for a truly magical viral vid. Not only did it feature a huge film star, it also had the winning combination of comedy and a visual element that baffled the mind. Bravo Volvo!

• 3.TNT- Add Drama

In promoting its launch in Belgium, TV channel TNT came up with this insanely cool video stunt idea that caused a global stir. The premise seemed pretty straightforward, but I dread to think how much effort and work the execution would’ve been for those involved! Basically, a big red button was set up in a small Belgian town in a seemingly quiet location that read ‘Push To Add Drama’ and then the team waited for someone to push it. Once pushed, the drama starts. I won’t spoil it for you here, but make sure you watch it below if you haven’t already done so!